Hello all,
I posted once or twice on here several months ago seeking input to inform my choice of land cruiser. After looking at dozens of them, I came to the realization that rather than finding the perfect cruiser, I needed to look through the superficial parts to find the perfect bones of a cruiser that I could restore and modify the way I wanted. After finding a great Toyota land cruiser community here in Bogota, Colombia and a couple of mentors to guide me on my search (and a knowledgable mechanic to inspect the vehicles before I selected one) I finally found a 1982 BJ40 with a B motor in very original (for Colombia) condition. In this thread I plan on posting updates on the process of restoring and modifying the vehicle so that people can weigh in and make recommendations (please do). I bought the vehicle on 2 December and put it in the shop on 10 December to start the modifications. The plan is to have everything finished by this summer (the real goal is two months, but we all know how things go once you start taking parts off) with a dedicated team working on the vehicle. Fortunately I have the best of both worlds and can obtain original parts locally and aftermarket or NOS parts through the mail from the U.S.
I have made two photo albums so far:
Original vehicle upon purchase: 1982 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40
Restoration process: 1982 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40
There is good, bad and ugly but most importantly some good body metal (everything in front of the firewall and the doors) and a good frame. Lots of original parts, some non-original parts, a heavy clunky fiberglass hard top that was already taken off and thrown away and some ugly yellow paint that is in the process of being stripped to revert the vehicle to its original 464 beige.
First up is body work and paint. Next will be an injection pump rebuild, replacement of any worn parts, general tune-up, installation of OME "light" suspension, disk brakes all around, conversion from chevy power steering box to original Toyota power steering box, 5 speed transmission (with the original 4 speed packed away in a crate for the future), powertrax rear locker, fabrication of a roll bar/cage, fabrication and installation of soft top, all new weather stripping, LED headlights, safari snorkel, new rims and tires, heating and air conditioning and a retro sound radio.
The goal is to revert the vehicle to the original look as much as possible but make some modifications that will make its life in the U.S. (I'm importing it this summer) a bit easier (such as a 5 speed transmission, heat/air and the radio). I don't plan on any crazy wheeling with the vehicle, but might add an ARB air locker in the front in the future.
Take a look and let me know what you think.
I posted once or twice on here several months ago seeking input to inform my choice of land cruiser. After looking at dozens of them, I came to the realization that rather than finding the perfect cruiser, I needed to look through the superficial parts to find the perfect bones of a cruiser that I could restore and modify the way I wanted. After finding a great Toyota land cruiser community here in Bogota, Colombia and a couple of mentors to guide me on my search (and a knowledgable mechanic to inspect the vehicles before I selected one) I finally found a 1982 BJ40 with a B motor in very original (for Colombia) condition. In this thread I plan on posting updates on the process of restoring and modifying the vehicle so that people can weigh in and make recommendations (please do). I bought the vehicle on 2 December and put it in the shop on 10 December to start the modifications. The plan is to have everything finished by this summer (the real goal is two months, but we all know how things go once you start taking parts off) with a dedicated team working on the vehicle. Fortunately I have the best of both worlds and can obtain original parts locally and aftermarket or NOS parts through the mail from the U.S.
I have made two photo albums so far:
Original vehicle upon purchase: 1982 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40
Restoration process: 1982 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40
There is good, bad and ugly but most importantly some good body metal (everything in front of the firewall and the doors) and a good frame. Lots of original parts, some non-original parts, a heavy clunky fiberglass hard top that was already taken off and thrown away and some ugly yellow paint that is in the process of being stripped to revert the vehicle to its original 464 beige.
First up is body work and paint. Next will be an injection pump rebuild, replacement of any worn parts, general tune-up, installation of OME "light" suspension, disk brakes all around, conversion from chevy power steering box to original Toyota power steering box, 5 speed transmission (with the original 4 speed packed away in a crate for the future), powertrax rear locker, fabrication of a roll bar/cage, fabrication and installation of soft top, all new weather stripping, LED headlights, safari snorkel, new rims and tires, heating and air conditioning and a retro sound radio.
The goal is to revert the vehicle to the original look as much as possible but make some modifications that will make its life in the U.S. (I'm importing it this summer) a bit easier (such as a 5 speed transmission, heat/air and the radio). I don't plan on any crazy wheeling with the vehicle, but might add an ARB air locker in the front in the future.
Take a look and let me know what you think.
